Hair waving protector



Nov. 7, 1933. R. M. KEELE 1,933,913

HAIR WAVING PROTECTOR Filed Sept. 50, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

wzzbza a ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 7, 1933. R M KEELE' 1,933,913

HAIR WAVING PROTECTOR Filed Sept. 30, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IIE EATTORNE Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES HAIR WAVING PROTECTOR- RalphM. Keele, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to United States ApplianceCorporation, San Francisco, Calif, a corporation of CaliforniaApplication September 30, 1932 Serial No. 635,470

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to devices known as protectors, whichare utilized together with other apparatus for the waving of human hair,particularly where heat is employed to render the wave relativelypermanent.

t is an object of the invention to provide a protector which will afforda more adequate grip upon a strand of hair thus precluding thepossibility of transmitting pull to the scalp, and which will alsoafford better protection against undue heating of the scalp by hotvapor.

A further object of the invention is to provide an article ofmanufacture, used in conjunction with other means to form a completeprotector, and which will obviate difficulties inherent in priorprotectors utilizing resilient gripping surfaces permanently secured toclamping bars.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription in which the preferred embodiments of my invention have beenset forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Theappended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents consistentwith the state of the prior art.

Figure l is a perspective view, illustrating the unit which I employ inconjunction with other clamping means to form a complete protector.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, in transverse cross section, showingthe unit of Fig. 1 applied to a strand of hair adjacent the scalp.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the unit illustrated in Fig. 1, with clampingmeans associated therewith.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, illustrating the clamping meansapplied to the unit of Figs. 1 and 2, in position for rEzeiving acurler.

Fig. 5 illustrates the apparatus of Fig. 4, after the strand has beenWound upon the curler, and the curler has been mounted upon theprotector.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional detail illustrating suitable clutching meansto be incorporated in conjunction with the curler.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional detail taken along the line 88 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form of clamping means.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the clamp shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 6, but showing theclamp of Fig 9.

The invention may be outlined briefly as comprising two units, one ofwhich is made principally of resilient material such as soft vulcanizedrubber, and aclamping means adapted to be used in conjunction with thefirst unit and which serves to force certain resilient surfaces intotight gripping engagement with a strand of hair. Referring now to thedrawing, the unit which is formed principally of resilient material isindicated generally at 10. While its construction may vary somewhat, asillustrated it consists of a seal 11, which is provided with alongitudinal slot 12 to receive a strand of hair. In 5 other words thisseal is formed of two elongated parallel portions 13, formed ofresilient material, which have their end portions integrally joinedtogether. For a purpose to be presently explained, resilient lips 14extend laterally from 7 the sides and ends of the upper edge of theseal.

In addition to the seal 11, I further provide a skirt 15 which islikewise formed of resilient material. This skirt is integrally joinedwith the lower edge of seal 11, and extends laterally a substantialdistance from the sides and ends of the seal. To afford better heatprotection, the lower surface of skirt 15 is covered with a layer 16 ofsoft felt or like material which is a relatively poor conductor of heat.

Since all of the parts of unit 10 are of resilient material such as softvulcanized rubber, and are made integral, the unit as a whole can bereadily flexed, and if desired the parts lying upon opposite sides ofthe slot 12 can be pulled apart 35 to provide an enlarged space thruwhich a hair strand can be drawn.

The resilient unit described above is adapted to be used in conjunctionwith some suitable mechanical clamping means, such as the means 17illustrated in the drawings. In this instance clamping means 17 consistsof a pair of bars 18 and 19, made of suitable material such as pressedsheet metal. One end of bar 19 is provided with an arm 20, which in turnhas a pivotal connection 21 with bar 19. For forcing the free ends ofthe bars together, the other end of bar 18 is provided with a pivotedlink 22. Pivotally connected to link 22 there is a cam lock lever 23.Lock lever 23 is adapted to engage a hook-shaped portion 24 providedupon one end of bar 19. Both of the bars 18 and 19 are provided withopposed flanges 26, for engaging the parallel portions 13 of the seal,between the lip 14 and the skirt 15, as shown in Fig. 6. Links 20 and 22are also provided with upstanding slotted lugs or posts 27, to receive asuitable curler 28.

Curler 28 is preferably of the type, known in the art, which whenpositioned upon the protector can rotate only in one direction, toenable 11f tensioning oi the hair. Thus the squared pin 29 extendingfrom one end of curler 28, and which engages a corresponding slot in oneof posts 27, has suitable clutching means interposed between it and thebody of the curler. As shown in Figs. '7 and 8 this clutching means canbe formed as followsz-Squared head 29 is formed upon one end of a pin30, which in turn is disposed within a socket 31 formed in the end ofthe curler body. A relatively fiat strip of spring metal 32, is spiraledabout pin 30, and has its one end disposed within a slot provided withinthe pin.

' With this arrangement pin 30, together with head 29, is free to turnwith respect to the body of the curler in one direction, but whenrelative turning movement in the opposite direction is attempted, springstrip 32 tends to expand, and its end 33 is jammed into engagement withthe adjacent surface of the curler body.

The use of my invention in waving hair can be explained as follows:Aftera strand of hair 36 hasbeen segregated from a head of hair, a suitablehook-shaped tool 37 (Fig. 1), is thrust thru the slot 12, and engagedwith the strand. Upon retracting this tool, the strand is drawn thru theslot, this operation being facilitated by' the fact that the side wallsof the slot can be readily forced apart. Unit 10 is then moved to aposition in close proximity to the scalp, as shown in Fig. 2. After thestrand has been properly distributed and arranged within the elongatedslot, the clamping means 17 is then engaged with seal 11, in the mannerillustrated in Fig. 3. Upon locking the free ends of bars 18 and 19together, by links 22 and cam lock lever 23, the

seal is forced into tight gripping engagement with the strand.

After the above operations are completed, the projecting portion of thehair strand is wound upon the curler 28, this curler positioned uponposts 2'7, and then the curler given a further rotation to tension thewound hair. The apparatus is then ready for a steaming operation, torender the wave permanent, as is well-known in the art. During thesteaming operation, hot vapors evolved cannot pass down into contactwith the scalp, due to the fact that elongated slot 12 is entirelyclosed, except of course for those opposed surfaces which engage thehair. Likewise vapors cannot pass downwardly into contact with the scalpabout the seal 11, because of the presence of skirt 15 which extendslaterally from both the sides and ends of the seal. Skirt 15 alsoprevents contact between metal parts of the clamping means 17 and thescalp, so that even though these metal parts may become heated duringthe steaming period, such heating cannot cause discomfort to thesubject.

With respect to the eifectiveness of the grip afforded by the seal 11upon the strand of hair, it may be noted from Fig. 6, that when the hairstrand is tensioned by rotation of curlers 28, there is a tendency forthe resilient material between the flanges 26, to be pulled upwardly toa certain extent. However since the cross sectional area of thisresilient material increases below the flanges 26, it is evident thatsuch upward deflection of the resilient material causes a jamming orwedging action, so that in effect the hair is more securely gripped. Inother words there is an automatic wedging action tending to preclude anyslippage of the hair with respect to the resilient seal.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11, there is shown a modification of the clampingmeans, in which the clamping bars are provided with surfaces havingrelatively poor heat conductivity, for contacting with the resilientseal 11. Thus in this case the two clamping bars 41 and 42, are likewiseformed of sheet metal, and have their outer longitudinal edges providedwith oppositely bent tabs 43. At one end of the clamping means, the twobars 41 and 42 are pivotally connected by links 44. Likewise links 46are pivotally connected to the free end of bar 41, and pivotallyconnected to links 46, there is a cam locking lever 47. Positioned uponthe bars 41 and 42, are the longitudinal strips 48 which are made ofsome suitable material which is a relatively poor conductor of heat,such as wood, and which are longitudinally slotted to accommodate theclamping bars. It will be noted that the outer longitudinal edges ofstrips 48 are adapted to abut the tabs 43.

The clamping means last described is adapted to be utilized inconjunction with the unit 10, in substantially the same manner as theclamping means 17. However as illustrated in Fig. 11, it will be notedthat the metal parts of the clamping means are substantially entirelyout of contact with the adjacent rubber surfaces, and therefore verylittle if any direct conduction of heat can take place between theseparts.

I claim:

1. In a protector, a single piece of resilient material formed toprovide a longitudinally slotted seal adapted to engage opposite sidesof a strand of hair and a skirt extended laterally from the sides andends of the seal, and a layer of heat insulating material secured to theunder. side of the-skirt.

2. In a protector including a pair of clamping bars, a seal formed ofresilient material, said seal including two elongated parallel portionsadapted to engage opposite sides of a strand of hair extendingtherethrough and having their ends integrally joined together, saidelongated parallel portions being adapted to be releasably engaged bysaid clamping bars to force the same into tight gripping engagement withthe strand of 1 5 hair, and a skirt of resilient material integrallyjoined to the seal, said skirt extending laterally from the sides andends of said seal and being adapted to underlie said clamping bars.

3. In a protector, a pair of clamping bars, a seal formed of resilientmaterial adapted to be disposed between said bars, said seal includingtwo elongated parallel portions adapted to en-' gage opposite sides of astrand of hair extending therethrough and having their ends integrallyjoined together, a skirt of resilient material integrally joined to theseal, said skirt normally underlying said clamping bars and extendinglaterally from the sides and ends of said seal, said seal together withsaid skirt being removable as a unit with respect to said clamping bars,and means for forcing said clamping bars together upon the sides of saidseal.

' RALPH M. KEELE.

